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A white man who heads up a local chapter of the far-right Proud Boys organization in Akron, Ohio has been charged with assault after punching a Black woman in the face.
The incident took place Sunday (February 27) when domestic terrorist group leader, 26-year-old Andrew Walls was caught on tape exiting a bar in the early hours of the day. In the video, Walls is seen stumbling and roughing up other patrons while hurling racial slurs.
Cameron Morgan, 23, was walking by with her friend when she heard Walls and others near him screaming, "f––king n––gers."
Morgan explained that she confronted Walls after realizing she was the only Black person in the vicinity, according to The Huffington Post, who obtained a copy of a taped conversation with her father, former sportswriter David Lee Morgan Jr. after the incident.
"We were like ... 'You can't say that. That's not OK,'" she told her dad.
Cameron's friend captured video of what happened next: Walls squares up, putting his finger in Cameron's face before repeating the racial slur and yelling, "B––tch, shut your mouth." Then, he pulls his right fist back and punches her directly in the face, the impact of which can be heard on video.
*** Warning this video contains racist language and violence ***
Walls then grabbed Cameron by the hair and dragged her into the street, her father said. Cameron had to be treated at a nearby urgent care facility for a concussion after the attack. Her face had also swelled up so much she couldn't move her jaw.
"She couldn't open her mouth to eat," her father told the HuffPost.
Walls initially left the scene without calling police. When the video started circulating on social media, local activists quickly identified him and uncovered a story by the local Akron Beacon Journal that named Walls as the vice president of the local Proud Boys chapter.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has classified the Proud Boys as a hate group and a domestic terrorist organization by Canada. Members of the organization were identified as participants in the attempted coup at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
According to a report by Rolling Stone, the highest rank in the organization is given to those who commit an act of significant violence "for the cause."
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